


Get to the Point

by AceTrainerHope



Series: Borrowed Fate [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, G/T, Gen, Modern-ish, borrower!Hinoka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 11:25:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14043237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceTrainerHope/pseuds/AceTrainerHope
Summary: A case of mistaken identity leads to an interesting proposition.





	Get to the Point

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, before we dive right into this lovely little tale, I would highly recommend going back and reading the first part of this series if you haven't already! If you have, then I hope you enjoy~ ;3

In hindsight, going behind her siblings’ backs probably wasn’t the best idea.

Hinoka knew that, but at the same time, it was just too embarrassing to let them know the truth. Not that they’d make fun of her for it, but…  

Well, Takumi might. And she could already hear Ryoma scolding her for wasting supplies or being too reckless. She also hated to imagine how concerned Sakura would get if she found out.

But if Hinoka played her cards right, they _wouldn’t_ find out.

Besides, she’d already come this far.

There was no way she could back down now.

She just needed to be more careful. If things kept going the way that they were, Camilla would surely start to notice that some of her sewing needles were going missing. Hinoka _really_ had to stop breaking them so quickly…

It wasn’t her fault that sewing was just so damn hard, though! And it certainly wasn’t her fault that no one had been able to teach her how to when she was younger—

The red-haired borrower abruptly pushed those thoughts aside as she scaled up the desk on her climbing rope. Going down that road wouldn’t help anyone right now, least of all herself.

Instead, she brought her focus back to the task at hand.

Getting distracted was the last thing she needed, even if she did have plenty of time before the room’s human resident returned.

The deskspace was almost entirely covered in a wide assortment of materials and tools, save for a few small spots here and there. Different colors and patterns of fabric were folded and stacked into neat, organized piles. A wooden ruler rested next to a roll of measuring tape and a pair of scissors.

A spool of ribbon that was easily twice Hinoka’s height sat at one corner of the desk; the corner that was opposite the side she’d climbed up and closest to the wall. Beside it was the exact thing she’d been hoping to find; a small black case, about the same size as a box of playing cards.

She was grateful for the fact that Camilla had left it out in the open this time. Trying to get into the drawer it was usually kept in wasn’t impossible, although it did take a lot of time and effort.

Normally Hinoka wouldn’t mind the extra workout, but this was something she wanted over and done with as soon as possible.

Kneeling down beside the black box, she popped it open and lifted the lid with both hands. Inside were a few dozen pins and sewing needles, with a little divider between the two.

All Hinoka had to do was grab one of the needles, and that was exactly what she did.

Everything _should_ have run pretty smoothly after that.

But of course, that meant it wouldn’t.

Just as Hinoka was about to snap the lid back into place, the sound of the bedroom door opening caught her completely off-guard, and nearly made her jump out of her skin.

She didn’t have time to question why Camilla was back so soon, or to find out if it was even Camilla at all. Nor did she have time to get to her fish hook and rope on the other side of the desk.

Instead, Hinoka quickly ducked behind the spool of ribbon, sandwiching herself between it and the wall. The needle box was left slightly ajar, and her climbing gear was left out in the open, right where Camilla could see it, but as long as Hinoka herself remained unseen, that was all that mattered.

The redhead held her breath as soft footsteps approached the desk… and then stopped.

The moment of silence that followed was nowhere near long enough to prepare her for what happened next.

“…Sakura? You’re not hiding from me, are you?”

 

Camilla could’ve sworn she’d seen the faintest bit of movement on her desk as she entered the room. That, coupled with the hook and line hanging there, was more than enough to alert her to the presence of a certain someone being close by.

With the past several days that she and Sakura had spent together, Camilla was starting to get accustomed to keeping an eye out for the tiny girl.

She couldn't help but wonder why Sakura was hiding now, though.

And when no answer came to the question Camilla had asked, she also couldn’t help but worry.

Her first thought was that something had to be wrong, though she didn’t have any guess as to what that something could be.

The two of them had made a lot of progress the more they talked to each other, or… well, Camilla thought they had. Sakura wasn’t stuttering nearly as much, and she didn’t seem as skittish or jumpy either.

Was it something Camilla had said or done during their last little meeting?

She didn’t think she’d done anything bad…

With her curiosity getting the better of her, the lavender-haired woman slowly reached for the spool of ribbon sitting on the corner of her desk. She was pretty sure that was where she’d seen the movement, and it was also the only place Sakura could really hide. Hide quickly and hide well, at least.

She tried to be careful, but as she moved the ribbon aside, her fingertips gingerly grazed the tiny form situated behind it.

And with that touch came a burning prick of pain that she hadn’t been expecting at all.

A soft yelp slipped out as she yanked her hand back, accidentally knocking over the spool in the process.

She might’ve noticed that she now had a sewing needle partially embedded in her hand, had her focus not been on the tiny amber eyes that were now locked with hers.

They were like two little pools of fire; far more fierce than the gentle, light brown hues that Camilla was used to. Her attention was also drawn to that bright red head of hair. Short, like Sakura’s, but more vibrant and wild.

Yes, fire was definitely a good word to use.

And this _definitely_ wasn’t Sakura.

 

She’d panicked. Gods, she had panicked so badly.

And now she was completely unarmed, trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Although, it wasn’t like that needle was going to do her much good as a weapon anyway. Not against a human. The worst it could do was be a mild annoyance.

Hinoka cursed her own rash actions. She should’ve known better than to go and _stab a human_. Not only that, but now she had just lost the very thing she’d come to get. Because of one thoughtless action, this whole trip was for nothing.

She wasn’t about to go down without a fight, though.

Hinoka stood tense, poised and ready to strike if Camilla made a grab for her, ready to kick and scream with every last ounce of energy she could muster.

“You’re… not who I expected,” Camilla finally stated softly, breaking the silence that had stretched on between them. She didn’t sound angry, much to Hinoka’s surprise. “When Sakura told me she had an older sister, I didn’t really think you and I would be meeting quite like this,” she added with a lighthearted chuckle. “You _are_ Hinoka, right?”

“How… How do you know my sister?” Hinoka questioned. And though it took her a moment to find her voice, there was a clear conviction in it.

The human cocked her head to the side a bit in confusion. “She didn’t tell you? I found her on my bookshelf and she’s been visiting me almost every day since. That was about… two weeks ago, give or take.”

Hinoka almost didn’t want to believe it. She knew that Sakura always liked to watch their humans from a safe distance, and as much as she and the others didn’t like it, her little sister had always been so careful, so cautious.

To think that Sakura would actually go so far as to _talk_ to a human…

Yeah, Hinoka _really_ didn’t want to believe it. But what reason did Camilla have to lie about that? And how else would she have known Hinoka or Sakura’s names?

Gods, and Hinoka had been worried about her siblings finding out what _she_ had been up to. Sneaking off to borrow extra sewing needles was nothing compared to what _Sakura_ had been doing.

“You still with me?” Camilla wondered with a playful tease to her tone, pulling Hinoka’s thoughts back to the present. The human started to move, which caused Hinoka to flinch as she braced herself for the worst.

But all Camilla did was just sit down at her desk chair. 

Hinoka wasn’t normally so easy to spook, but unlike Sakura—who regularly observed the larger beings from afar—this was Hinoka’s first time getting a full view of a human. Before now, she’d only ever caught little glimpses here and there. The same could be said for Takumi and Ryoma.

Needless to say, it was a lot to take in.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you, dear,” Camilla continued. “It is nice to have a face to put to your name, though. And what an adorable face it is.”

“Wh… Why are _you_ apologizing? I’m the one who _stabbed_ you,” she remarked, opting to ignore Camilla’s last comment. Just like she ignored the way she could feel her cheeks getting slightly warmer.

“I can’t say I blame you. Sweet little Sakura could hardly even move when we first met,” Camilla replied, turning her attention down to the needle that she still needed to remove from her hand. “Besides, goodness knows I pricked myself more than couple times when I first started learning how to sew. This is nothing I can’t handle.”

The lavender-haired human then opened one of the desk drawers with her uninjured hand, taking out a bandage from inside.

“You’re free to leave, if you’d like. Don’t feel like you have to stay on my account,” Camilla suggested. Her focus was no longer entirely on Hinoka at the moment as she tried to figure out how to go about patching herself up with only one free hand.

“Here, I’ll—Let me help,” Hinoka insisted, taking a single step forward. She was still pretty wary of the larger woman, but by this point it seemed clear that Camilla wasn't plotting anything devious.

“Oh? Are you sure?” Camilla wondered, sounding rather surprised.

“Yeah. It’s my fault anyway,” the redhead muttered.

 

Camilla had to admire Hinoka’s bravery.

Although… Sakura _had_ mentioned that her older sister could be rather stubborn at times. Apparently that was a trait all three of her older siblings shared.

She watched as Hinoka took several more steps closer to her.

Rather hesitant steps, she noticed.

“Just… don’t move while I’m doing this, alright?” the borrower stated.

“Alright,” Camilla replied simply. But it was rather difficult to keep still when one tiny boot stepped up onto her finger, followed by another. Especially when her hand wanted to twitch reflexively at the ticklish feeling.

The needle was lodged right in between the knuckles of her index and middle fingers, a little less than halfway in. Even for someone her size, Hinoka’s strength was nothing to scoff at.

“Ready?” Hinoka checked once she had both hands wrapped around it.

Camilla gave a simple “Mhmm,” and Hinoka took that as her cue.

In one swift and fluid motion, she pulled the needle right out.

This time, Camilla couldn’t help it. The brief sting caused her to flinch, and as a result, Hinoka lost her balance and fell backward, landing sprawled across Camilla’s fingers. She was still clutching the now-bloodied needle in her hands.  

“I told you not t—!” Hinoka’s protests were cut off as Camilla’s free hand found its way underneath her, helping the borrower to her feet before retreating.

And Camilla definitely _hadn’t_ heard a soft, startled yelp come from the smaller woman.

“Sorry about that, dear,” she apologized as she reached for the bandage she’d retrieved earlier. After that, wrapping up the tiny puncture wound on her hand was no trouble at all.

“I-It’s fine,” Hinoka stated somewhat curtly. She then shifted the needle over to one hand, holding it out to Camilla. “Here, you can have this back. I don’t think I want it now, anyway.”

“Oh? Is that why you were up on my desk?” Camilla wondered with a smile. “Why don’t you keep it? You’ll probably get more use out of it than I will anyway.”

Hinoka scoffed, more at herself than at Camilla. “I doubt it. If anything I’ll just end up breaking it like all the oth—”  This time, Hinoka cut _herself_ off, realizing that she’d revealed far more information than she’d intended to.

“All the others?” Camilla asked curiously, finishing the sentence for her. “What are you doing that’s got you going through so many sewing needles?”

“…Practicing,” Hinoka mumbled.

“Care to elaborate? Or are you going to make me guess?” Camilla teased lightheartedly.

 

“I’m leaving,” the redhead dismissed, unwilling to indulge the human any further. She turned and started to make her way over to where her hook was secured to the desk’s wooden surface.

“Oh come on now, don’t be like that,” Camilla insisted, keeping the jovial nature in her tone. She didn't make any physical attempts to stop Hinoka from leaving, though. In fact, she hardly moved at all except for leaning back in her chair. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I promise I won’t laugh.”

“I-I am _not_ embarrassed,” Hinoka objected, abruptly turning to face the lavender-haired woman once more.

Her cheeks were definitely more red now.

Camilla’s smile grew ever-so-slightly wider. “Of course, of course. My mistake.”

Hinoka huffed indignantly.

“If you _must_ know, I… I’ve been trying to teach myself how to sew,” she admitted reluctantly. Her rising frustration was becoming more and more apparent. “And I’m just so… so _bad_ at it that I keep breaking these damn things!”

To emphasize her point, she threw the needle down onto the desk. It only made a soft _klink_ when it hit the polished wood, though. Not really the kind of effect she’d been going for.

She looked back up at the human, fully prepared to get teased again, but much to her surprise, Camilla actually looked… sympathetic?

No, that couldn’t be right. Hinoka had to be imagining things.

“Have you been practicing a lot recently?”

“N… No. Not really. Just whenever I have free time,” she answered, sounding a little calmer now. Suddenly she was much more self-aware of her rather childish outburst. “Sakura’s normally the one who does most of the sewing, but I… I just want to be able to help her out sometimes.”

“Well, maybe you just need a teacher,” Camilla suggested. A kind, more gentle smile replaced the playful one she’d had earlier.

“I can’t ask Sakura to do that, she—”

“Sakura isn’t quite the person I had in mind.”

“What? _You_ want to teach me?” Hinoka questioned, as if _that_ was the most shocking thing Camilla had said throughout their whole conversation.

“I don’t see why not. It would be the perfect opportunity to get to know you just as well as I’ve gotten to know your sister,” Camilla justified enthusiastically. “Oh, it’ll be so much fun! Please?”

It took Hinoka a moment to come to a decision.

She knew how skilled Camilla was; there was no denying that.

But did she really trust the human that much? Enough to meet with her regularly, for gods-only-knew how long?

But… Camilla had already proven herself to be pretty trustworthy. If she and Sakura really had been spending all that time together, and none of the other humans knew about the borrowers living in the walls… Well, it seemed pretty clear that their secret was safe with Camilla.

“…Alright, alright, fine,” she finally relented. “But you can’t tell Sakura about this, okay?”

“Oh, of course not, dear. This can be our little secret~”


End file.
